Know Thyself
by Dragonling
Summary: Voldemort has been driven from his body once again. But when he returns in Harry's seventh year, what will Harry do to protect those he loves?
1. Letters, Secrets and Presents

A/N: After book 5 comes out, this will obviously be an AU. This story contains SLASH. Later chapters may contain rape and torture.

DISCLAIMER : This is based on characters created and owned by JK Rowling, and publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books and Waner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter One - Letters, Secrets and Presents

Harry opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling of the second bedroom in 4 Privet Drive. 'I can't wait to get out of here,' he thought, as it was the last time he would ever have to stay at the Dursleys. He felt slightly sad at having to leave his only real family, but then again, they had never treated him like a part of a family. His family was at Hogwarts, with Ron and Hermione.

'And Jean,' Harry thought with a slightly wistful smile. They had been going out for five months now, but their relationship was still a secret. Jean was a Slytherin, after all. But that wasn't such a big problem anymore.

Harry's smiled dimmed as he thought about the changes they had all gone through, had been forced to go through. The Siege of Hogwarts during his fifth year was not something he could easily forget. Many students had died, from Slytherin as much as any house, and everyone had helped to defend the castle. It had been a traumatic but eye-opening experience. It saddened Harry, though, that it had taken a slaughter to make people see past petty House rivalries.

'And Hagrid.' He would never be rid of the image of the half-giant holding five Death Eaters off with his bare hands, his face wild and his arms swinging dangerously. Then the flash of green light and the dead eyes of his first friend staring at him. It had almost been too much, but he had continued fighting. He had only broken down after the siege had been over and he had mourned for his friend long after that. He still missed him, sometimes more than others, but he had learnt not to burden himself with the guilt of those who died, even though the guilt still lingered. He knew that he would never be rid of it.

In the end, Voldemort had been driven back and had once again been temporarily expelled from his body, courtesy of the combined efforts of Dumbledore's elite force of light wizards, the Order of the Phoenix. Major parts of Hogwarts had been rebuilt after that and the school had been closed for four months. When all the students came back, they had started a thoroughly condensed, but extremely intensive, course for the schooling they had missed.

Harry rolled over as he heard a tapping on the window. "Orpheus," Harry said, recognizing the owl Hermione's parents had bought for her as a reward for acquiring 18 O.W.L.s. It had been quite an achievement, the most number of O.W.L.s since Gregory Gobblepot more than a hundred years earlier.

He had no idea, however, why she would name her owl Orpheus. He and Ron mostly referred to the owl as Orph, and Hermione had been reluctantly forced to do the same after the owl had stopped responding to the longer name. She had not been particularly happy, but Ron had commented that it was better than Pig. He agreed.

He got up and untied the parcel. Harry carefully opened the letter on top.

__

Hello Harry,

__

Look at what I found! I've sent one to Ron as well and I think we should all start practising immediately.

Curiosity piqued, Harry opened the small parcel, a book by the feel of it, and found the golden letters 'Your Inner Animal and You' glinting on the cover. A book on becoming an Animagus! They had talked about it before, but due to the war, strict rules had been put in place that had made the procurement of such a book practically impossible. The law had not been rescinded and he wondered how on earth she had got her hands on three, no less.

__

You're probably wondering where I got it from and what I had to do to get it, aren't you? Well, let's just say that Bulgarian laws are a bit more lax about these things.

'So, she went to see Viktor again,' Harry thought with a smile. After a brief relationship between Ron and Hermione, which resulted in more shouting matches than the residents of Gryffindor Tower could stand, she had started going out with Viktor again. The Bulgarian Quidditch star had, as part of the Order, conveniently been moved to Hogwarts where he could pursue his relationship with her and improve his English, among his other duties. He could even pronounce her name right now.

__

The book says it will take about a year to master the skill. Yes, I know it's a long time, but we could probably accomplish it in less, seeing that we are somewhat prone to perform the impossible. I mean, how many eleven-year-olds could take on a fully-grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale?

Harry laughed, remembering McGonagall's words almost six years ago. 'Sweet Merlin, has it been so long already?'

__

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to doing this with you guys. And I know that you, with your history_, should enjoy it especially._

She knew that it was one of his dreams to become an animagus like his father. It was like he would somehow connect with a part of his father, doing something he had done when he had been in school. He had often wondered if he would become a stag as well.

__

Now, Harry, I have noticed something during the last two months at school. I don't know why you even try hiding it from me, I know you too well. I know you're going out with a girl in Slytherin, but you're very sneaky, and to my own frustration, I have not been able determine which_ girl it is. I know she has black hair and she may be a year younger than you, but I'm not sure. These features, however, count for about fifteen girls in Slytherin. _

He laughed again. Hermione almost never missed a thing. Well, he wasn't going to tell her yet, she would just have to wait. He was rather curious to know how she had found out. He and Jean had always been careful, with his Invisibility Cloak and always ensuring the Marauder's Map (which Dumbledore, with a twinkle in his eye, had handed back to him at the start of fifth year) was with him, it would have been quite a challenge. Well, she wasn't the smartest witch in Hogwarts for nothing. He was lucky, however, that there were much more students than there had been in his fourth year, making it more difficult for her. Before the siege on Hogwarts, various magical schools had been destroyed and their students had all been incorporated into Hogwarts, which had also been expanded to fit the needs of the growing student population. Jean was in their year and had been one of the transfer students from Beauxbatons.

The first time they had stepped into the rebuilt Hogwarts had been a shock. The Great Hall, along with most of the other rooms, had been magically expanded and redecorated so they had lost that sense of home and familiarity. They had become used to it now, but it just wasn't the same.

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You have_ to tell me who it is. Please? It doesn't matter that she's a Slytherin. Or is it the media you're hiding from? I can definitely understand that, with those trashy tabloid articles about your love-life. But you can tell me, can't you?_

Harry shook his head. She was just too curious for her own good and had made it her job over the past year to find a girlfriend for him, and now that she was already too late, she was just dying to find out who it was. But she was right in thinking he wanted to hide it from the media. They always twisted everything around and made it look so cheap. He didn't want their relationship to be scrutinized by journalists or have every detail of what they did be exposed to the wizarding world. Luckily, Jean was pro-muggle, so if they wanted to, they could go into the muggle world for a date without worrying about reporters.

__

Alright, I'll stop bothering you. I do hope you have a great summer and remember to do your homework! (And revise for the N.E.W.T.s) We'll be back on the 25th of August, so I will be able to meet you and Ron in Diagon Alley on the 28th.

Love,

Hermione

__

P.S. Viktor sends his regards.

He quickly folded the letter and took out some of his own parchment. He dipped a quill into the inkpot on the desk.

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Hey Herm,

Thank you very much for the book, I appreciate it very much.

And I'm shocked that you would break all those rules so blatantly! Ron was right in first year when he said we have a bad influence on you. On a serious note though, you do realize we're not going to register? Not until Voldemort is totally destroyed.

How are you and Vik doing? Send my regards to him as well, it's been a while since we've seen each other. Hope you enjoy yourself there in Bulgaria and forget schoolwork for a bit. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's never gonna happen, but I have to try right?

How about I let you discover my secret for yourself? I am rather amazed that you know about it at all. With the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map on me, how did you find out? Catch me making eyes at my secret lover (that I've been seeing for five months, for your information), did you?

I will tell you and Ron, though. I don't know when, exactly, but I will. Oh, I am so hoping there's another Ball coming up so I can read the lovely headlines 'Harry Potter, Gryffindor Goldenboy and Steamy Slytherin in secret affair?' No, thank you! Well, I guess it will have to go public sometime. I'm just sick of all the media attention, you know? I don't want them to know about us and what we do and when we do it. I think that's one reason I've kept it secret, even from you guys. It's something I have that's just mine. Do you understand? It's not that I don't trust you with the information or are afraid about what you might think (well, I'm worrying a little), but I can say that's its mine alone, and I like that.

Anyway, enjoy your stay there, relax, unwind, and have lots of sex, 'kay?

Love

Harry

He just knew she would blush and shout, "Harry!" in indignation at the last sentence. He knew, however, that the two of them had done it before, and definitely more than once. Seeing two dots merge on the Marauder's Map was _not_ an uncommon occurrence.

He had learned (after rather embarrassing conversations with his dorm mates, and other sources, such as his Godfather) that wizards in general, were much more open about sex and it was not frowned upon for wizards and witches over sixteen, the age of consent, to have sex. In fact, they had attended a rather embarrassing course with Madame Pomfrey at the end of fifth year, teaching them all about safe sex and what contraceptive spells and potions to use.

One thing, however, she forgot to mention was the importance of a silencing charm, _especially_ in a dorm room. There had been more than a few embarrassing moments in the dorm the past year. Harry, himself, had not had sex yet and although somewhat impatient, Jean had agreed to wait until Harry felt he was ready. He didn't really know when that would be, but somehow it just didn't feel right. Maybe it was growing up with Muggles, or maybe it was the fact that he didn't want it to be some rushed fuck in a dorm or empty classroom with someone he had only known for five months. Whatever it was, he was glad Jean understood it was important to him and had only teasingly called him a "bloody hopeless romantic".

Harry chuckled suddenly. He had one idea why Hermione may have become suspicious and started snooping. Jean had insisted that Harry get some new clothes, something Hermione had been saying for quite some time. So they had gone shopping, buying stylish clothes that actually fit him. When his friends had wanted to know why, he had just said he was tired of swimming around in his clothes. He should have known better than to think Hermione would take that at face value.

Unfortunately, it had also increased his fan following at Hogwarts with more girls starting to stare at him wearing a muscle shirt or a pair of particularly tight jeans. It made him feel very uncomfortable, but he knew Jean liked his new attire, and it did make him feel better wearing clothes that weren't almost double his size.

"Boy! Dinner!" he heard Aunt Petunia's shout from downstairs.

"Coming!" He quickly tied his letter to Orph's leg and closed the window behind the owl. He rushed down the stairs and stepped into the kitchen. Dudley who, to Harry's surprise, had started losing some weight, was already seated. 'Probably trying to impress a girl,' Harry thought with an inner smirk.

The Dursleys had been particularly nicer towards Harry since the previous vacation when, due to the war, the Underage Wizardry Law had been temporarily rescinded and had, at that time, not been re-introduced. After casting a Lumos charm and Wingardium Leviosa, they had practically ignored him for the rest of the summer and had taken him to Diagon Alley and Kings Cross without complaint. 

Harry had also grown during the past two years, both vertically and in terms of muscles. He had taken self-defence classes with Remus, reasoning that it could be easy to catch one of the Death Eaters off guard by using Muggle means of attack. It had, in fact, come in handy quite a few times. Currently, he was standing about four inches taller than his uncle and sometimes, when Vernon wasn't angry, Harry could see that it made the older man really uncomfortable. It was probably wrong, but Harry got a perverse pleasure from it anyway.

He quickly finished his dinner, a more than ample amount, and excused himself with the promise that he would do the dishes a bit later. None of the Dursleys objected.

Harry fished around for another clean piece of parchment and grabbed a bottle of red ink - a sort of ongoing joke or mockery between him and Jean about the whole pureblooded issue in the wizarding world - and started writing.

__

Hey Jean,

I must say I don't really miss you, with my esteemed relatives keeping me company and all that. I've almost completely forgotten how much I miss talking to you, or kissing you, or...

Hmm, you do know that I'm an extremely bad liar, right? 

Anyway, I can't believe the Dursleys still think I can do magic. I mean, the Underage Law has been in place for a year. They still sit and stare at me when they think I'm eating or not watching. And then when I look up, they'll quickly busy themselves with something. Annoying. But you knew that and I'm just ranting.

How're you doing? Alex giving you trouble? The way you describe him makes me think of Colin Creevey, which definitely isn't a good thing. I'm glad I don't have any younger brothers.

Herm figured out I'm seeing someone. Not really surprised she found out, just curious how. As she puts it:

I know you're going out with a girl in Slytherin, but you're very sneaky, and to my own frustration, I have not been able determine which girl it is. I know she has black hair and she may be a year younger than you, but I'm not sure. These features, however, count for about fifteen girls in Slytherin. 

__

How long do you think it will take her to work out the truth? I did say that I'm going to tell her, and said that I didn't know when. 

Would you like to go public? You now how I feel about it, the media and all, but I also don't like constantly hiding our relationship. Invisibility cloaks, empty classrooms, dark corridors. All very thrilling, but I hate sitting in the Great Hall, just looking at you across the tables. And the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables are ever so exciting!

I do know it will be difficult for us to reveal this. And I'm worried what Ron and Hermione will think, especially Ron. Hermione, as you know, is much more rational and level-headed. What about the rest of the school?

I'm sorry that I'm loading all my worries off on you, but it makes me feel better talking with someone about it, and well, it does involve you.

I'm going to meet up with Ron and Herm on the 28th at Diagon Alley. We arranged to meet each other at 11am in front of Gringotts. Want to meet me there before that?  


Miss you,

Harry.

Harry read the letter over, remembering Jean telling him he was rather sappy in his letters. He smiled and folded the letter neatly and tied it Hedwig's leg. "Take it to Jean, please." Hedwig hooted once as Harry opened the window before she flew out. Harry watched the disappearing speck of white for a while before sighing, 'Now for the dishes.'

***

Four days later found Harry lying in his bed, looking at the clock on the wall. 11:58 pm. 'Just two minutes until I turn seventeen,' Harry thought, 'And this year will be my last year at Hogwarts.' It was almost painfully sad to think about that. Hogwarts had been his home over the last six years and he didn't know what he wanted to do once he graduated. Auror, Professional Quidditch Player, Broom Designer, Broom Tester, Professor. All jobs he knew he could do and ones he had considered already. But what to choose? Auror would be the obvious public opinion. He was, after all, the Boy-Who-Lived and he would undoubtedly be the one to kill Voldemort, right?

How he hated public expectation. Why couldn't he just be like any other normal child?

Tick, tock.

He silently wondered what this year would bring. Would Voldemort return? He certainly hoped not.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

A barrage of owls flew through the window Harry had opened earlier. Hermes and Errol, Pig, Hogwarts owl, one of Sirius' extremely flashy parrots, a hawk-like bird Harry guessed belong to Viktor and Jean's raven, Poe. Harry almost started laughing again. Nearly everyone had amusing names for their familiars, except him. Pig, Poe and Orph. Jean's little brother Alex had started calling the bird Poe after some muggle story and the name had stuck, much like what had happened with Pig. Jean, of course, was still rather sour about it and Harry had learned to rather keep his mouth shut about the subject.

Harry quickly relieved the owls of all their packages and set them on the bed. He decided to read the Hogwarts letter first. As he opened it, he wondered why they always came on his birthday.

__

Dear Mr. Potter,

In light of your exemplary performances as Gryffindor Prefect and Quidditch Captain over the past two years, along with your various other honourable extra-curricular activities, you have been elected as Head Boy.

You, along with your fellow Gryffindor, Miss. Granger, who was has been elected as Head Girl, will report to the Prefects Compartment on the Hogwarts Express on the first day of term to obtain further information about your duties.

Congratulations,

Headmistress McGonagall

'I'm headboy?' Harry thought, shocked, but then he grinned, 'Less sneaking around with Jean, I'll have my own room! Definitely advantegeous.'

Setting that aside, he picked up Sirius' package. His godfather had been declared innocent after various Auror had testified, under Veritaserum, that they had seen Peter Pettigrew in the siege on Hogwarts. Sirius had told the full tale, also under Veritaserum, and Fudge, who had still been Minister at the time before Voldemort had killed him and his family, had grundginly declared him innocent and compensated him for the fourteen years he had spent in Azkaban. That had been a real sore blow for the rotund Minister as confessions from both Dumbledore and Harry had confirmed that they had brought Sirius' innocence under his attention before.

__

Happy Birthday Harry,

Sorry I can't write much, the Order is still very busy. There have been a slight increase in Dark Activity, but it's nothing to worry about, only a few Death Eaters trying to continue instilling their master's fear in the community. We have captured most of them.

  
Oh, but enough about those morbid things. It's your birthday and you should be happy. I think it's about time I gave this book to you, seeing as it was Prongs'. Never know when it might come in use. 

Take care of yourself, kiddo.

S

Harry practically ripped the paper off and started laughing softly. The leather-bound book with the frayed edges was titled, _Releasing The Animal Inside_ _: Mastering the Animagus Transformation_. 'If this isn't a sign,' Harry thought with a grin, 'Then I don't know what is.' He ran his fingers over the cover. It had been his father's book. Slowly, he opened it and paged through, seeing the spiky annotations along the sides. He traced some of the letters of his father's handwriting before closing the book and setting it down.

Mrs. Weasley had given him lots of treats again and, before opening the package, he read Ron's letter.

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Happy Birthday, mate!

I can't ask if the Dursleys are treating you right, because we all know the answer to that one. At least something good came out of the war, then.

Not many people would have tried joking about the war, but Harry knew Ron meant well and he could almost sense the slight bitterness in the words.

__

Anyway, hope you like the gift. It's from the whole family and I hope you don't mind, but everyone made a contribution.

Definitely curious, Harry pulled open the small box and gasped. Inside was a beautiful dagger, a handle wrapped in dragon hide and the wide, flat blade thinning towards the front. The blade was covered with runic etchings, the little black symbols a definite contrast with the gleaming silver. It was a work of art.

__

I know how much you loved fighting with the daggers in self-defence class and I saw how good you were with them (not to mention watching you with Gryffindor's sword) so I asked the rest of the family if they would help. Charlie got it from a good friend of his in the dragon camp. Said it was special.

__

Anyway, see you on at Diagon Alley.

  
Ron

'Thank you, thank you, thank you,' Harry repeated in his mind as he picked up the dagger and tested the weight. He had enjoyed dagger and sword fighting and Remus had said he was especially talented in both. He would have to buy presents for all of the Weasley's to say thank you. Carefully placing the dagger back in the box, he picked up the present the hawk had left, presumably from Hermione.

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Dear Harry,

Before I congratulate you, I just want to ask you what exactly you meant when you said, 'have lots of sex' ? I am thoroughly shocked that you would suggest such a thing! And even if, not that I'm saying we do, but if we did, IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!

Now that that's out of the way: Happy Birthday, Harry.

Harry laughed as he read, practically picturing her stern, but blushing, face.

__

I know you have been interested about the topic and I have bought you another book here in Bulgaria where, as I've mentioned, some of the rules are a bit less restrictive than they are there. We both know it's considered Dark Magic, so just be careful with it.

'Is she talking about...' his thought trailed off as he started unwrapping the parcel. _The Rashan Arcana_. He had a guess about what it was about, but he was unsure, so he went on reading.

__

It's a book about Parseltongue and its use in spells and potions. We've talked about the possibilites before, I'm sure you remember. I haven't read the whole book yet, but a lot of it is defensive magic. There was a rather gruesome section under blood magic that I suggest you stay away from, but some of it could be used if... I'm sure you can see its value.

A somewhat disturbing birthday present, but Harry had been rather interested in the topic. He had always avoided using Parseltongue, but during the war he had realized that it wasn't necessarily evil and it could be very helpful. He had even gathered a small group of snakes that had acted as spies for him. After the war, he had started exploring the potential, but due to the fact that Parseltongue was a rare gift, there wasn't much information on the matter.

__

On to other things. Yes, you and Ron are exceptionally bad influences and I'll remember to stay away from you in the future. I am aware that we will not be registering, although I am not particularly happy about that fact, I understand why.

Viktor and I are enjoying ourselves (mind out of the gutter!), thank you very much. He took me on a flying scenic trip around the mountains and we had a lovely picnic at a waterfall, but I'm sure you're not that interested in our romantic rendezvous (or I hope not).

Five months? I must say, you have_ been doing a good job of hiding you're relationship then. I completely understand what you're saying. I know you haven't had much that was yours, or something not known to the public or Ron and I, so I respect that you want to keep it a secret. Whenever you want to tell me, you know where to find me. I won't intrude if you don't want me to, although it does present a rather interesting challenge. _

And you ask how I discovered your relationship with the Steamy Slytherin? Why don't I let you discover that secret by yourself?

Lots of love,

Hermione

And now only Jean's package and letter were left. 'Always save the best for last,' Harry thought with a grin.

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Harry,

I'm very sorry to have to do this on your birthday, but I've met someone during the holidays and I want to end our relationship before I end up hurting you more.

Consider this a parting gift.

I really did enjoy our time together.

Jean

"No," Harry forced out, his eyes wide, feeling confused and hurt. "No," he repeated. 'This has to be some big joke,' he thought dazedly. It had been going so well between the two of them. Why?

He made himself open the box, and seeing the paper inside, swore quite loudly.

__

Fortunately, I'm a better liar than you are.

"Damn all Slytherins," he said, trying to get his breathing under control. How could Jean play a trick like that? "Damn Slytherin humour," he continued. He would get his revenge yet. He noticed there was something else beneath the note, and curiously pulled the package, wrapped in brown paper, out of the box.

He wripped off the wrapping, neatly unfolded the soft white paper the present was placed in and then blushed a rather brilliant shade of red at the contents. It was leather harness. There was another sheet of paper beneath the piece of clothing ('If you could call it clothing,' Harry thought) and he quickly removed it, trying to avoid the contraption of leather straps.

__

I hope you like the present, but I assure you, it's more for my enjoyment than it is for yours. When we get a chance, we're going clubbing again and I'm going to make you wear that to the club.

'I'd rather face another Hungarian Horntail than go anywhere wearing that thing,' Harry thought, 'Oh yes, just you wait Jean. I'll get my revenge.'

__

We all know the Dursleys are complete idiots. I mean, they think you're an ugly, inconsiderate, ungrateful brat. But I know better. Well, I must admit that you are only slightly attractive, but beauty, after all, isn't just skin deep.

He couldn't remember the Dursleys ever saying that, but he smiled anyway at Jean's rather sarcastic sense of humour.

__

I'm doing great, except for the little devil that is my brother. Couldn't you look after him for a while? I swear his only purpose in life is to irritate me! And now that you mention it, his resemblancewith Colin Creevey is actually startling. I wonder if he wasn't adopted. He's just annoying. But you knew that and I'm just ranting.

__

Yes, Hermione would be the first to notice. The part of her letter was rather amusing and I am curious to see if she'll figure it out. 

I don't have a problem with going public, Harry and I agree about all the secrecy, it tends to get old after a while. I know you don't like attention, media or otherwise, but you shouldn't let it bother you. So what if everyone knows we're going out, it's not something to be ashamed of. So the whole world knows that we ate at that specific restaurant at that specific time, but that's the price of fame. Even if you didn't ask for the fame, Harry, it follows you everywhere and you just have to live with it.

I'll distract you if you want.

And about the students, I don't give a damn what they think. All your friends will accept it, don't worry about that. Trust them. The Slytherins may have something to say, but that's not really a problem.

__

I don't mind if you talk to me about the things that bother you, I'm glad that you do, actually. It shows you trust me. And I trust you.

And I miss you.

Happy Birthday Harry.

JP.

P.S. About the Diagon Alley tryst - I'll be waiting in Flourish & Blotts at 10. You know which section to find me in.

Harry knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't care. He only hoped their relationship would last. He really liked Jean, and while he wasn't sure about the love part, he was very happy every time they were together. On some nights, they met in the room Fluffy had occupied and they would just talk about everything and nothing. And he enjoyed it. Sometimes, more than talking was involved, and he enjoyed that just as much. They both enjoyed Quidditch very much, and although Harry wasn't as intellectual as Jean, they had challenging conversations and debates about many different aspects of the wizarding world and life in general. 

He actually felt like he could handle the media knowing about them. He wasn't ashamed about their relationship, maybe just a little scared and possessive. He would seriously have to consider telling everyone. 'Maybe a ball wouldn't be such a bad idea, after all.'


	2. Shopping and a surprise

A/N: This story contains SLASH. Later chapters may contain rape and torture.

DISCLAIMER : This is based on characters created and owned by JK Rowling, and publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books and Waner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter Two - Shopping and a surprise

Harry stepped out of his uncle's car, quickly dragging out his trunk and Hedwig's cage. He was staying at Ron's for the following three days seeing as his uncle didn't want to drive in for him again. He had already let Hedwig fly off to the Burrow. Before he could even think of greeting or thanking his uncle, the older man had sped off. 'No wonder they think I'm ungrateful,' Harry thought, 'They don't give me the chance.'

And it was actually the last time he would see his uncle. The parting from the house had been a little painful for him. Not that he had ever really considered 4 Privet Drive his home, but he had stayed there for the first ten years of his life. He had said goodbye to both Dudley and Aunt Petunia, neither of which had seemed to realize that it was the last time they would see him. Maybe then they would have responded more enthusiastically.

Shaking his head, he picked up his things and entered the quaint little wizarding pub known as The Leaky Cauldron.

"'Ello Harry!" he heard the jovial voice of Tom the innkeeper carrying over the buzz of conversation, which obviously stopped when they realized he was talking about _that_ Harry. He just sighed and stepped further into the dimly lit room. 'No use in hiding.'

"Hi Tom," he said as he stopped in front of the toothless man, "Do you have somewhere I can put my things until this afternoon?"

"You're not staying?"

"Oh no, I'm going to Ron's for the last bit of the vacation," Harry explained.

"Ah yes," Tom nodded, "Well, of course you can leave your things here. Come on." He took Harry's trunk and guided him to a room behind the bar where they deposited his belongings.

"Thanks Tom."

"No problem, Harry, you enjoy yourself now."

"I will, thank you. See you later." Harry ignored everyone's stares as he made his way to the back of the pub and into the room leading to the Alley itself. He slipped his wand from the holster on his belt (another thing he had acquired during his clothes shopping - a wizarding belt) and tapped the bricks. While not as impressive as the first time, the sight of the twisting bricks remained somewhat wondrous. He flattened his hair over his scar as he looked over the street full of witches and wizards bustling about. Glancing down at his watch, which Sirius had given him for his previous birthday, he saw he had five minutes before he had to meet Jean. He only hoped no one would recognize him.

He quickly laced through the crowd, making his way to Flourish & Blotts. He kept his head slightly bowed and walked at a brisk pace. He had often wondered how it would feel walking through a wizarding place such as this without anyone knowing who he was. 'Maybe I should try disguising myself someday,' he thought, 'I could use muggle makeup to cover the scar and hairdye or something to that effect.' He smiled slightly as he thought of himself walking down Diagon Alley with vibrant blue hair. That would certainly attract more attention than his scar.

Opening the door, he quickly stepped in and scanned the room, his eyes straying to the magical weapons category. Jean had an interest in magical sword fighting (that he shared) and they had discussed getting a few books about it. There…the long black hair and intense azure gaze. They only looked at each other for a second before their eyes moved on. Nobody would suspect a thing. He made his way up to the higher level and browsed through the shelves until he stopped near the books on sword fighting and glanced through the titles.

"Do you find it interesting?" Jean asked.

Harry looked up. "Sword fighting? Well, my girlfriend and I are interested in it but I'm looking for a book to give her," he explained, barely holding his grin back.

"Your girlfriend?" Harry nodded, the grin widening, "Well, I think _she_ will like this book." Jean, who had been holding a book, closed it and handed it to Harry. "The first few pages are especially helpful."

  
"Thank you," Harry nodded and turned, going back down the steps. He quickly paid for the book, thankful he had kept some galleons with him, and went out of the shop. He opened the book to the first page where a small note was placed.

__

Celeria's Charms - 5 minutes

Just look around.

He wondered what Jean meant with 'Just look around.' Shrugging, Harry started down the alley, walking closer to Gringotts. Celeria's Charms, he knew, was a very large and intricate shop owned by a rather eccentric witch. It was filled with all sorts of gadgets and small toys, bracelets and necklaces, odd clothes and funny hats; basically a large conglomeration of odds and ends that didn't belong anywhere else. The inside of the shop was, like all others in Diagon Alley, magically expanded but it consisted of a multitude of rooms and hallways. It was enough to get lost in, but somehow you always found back when you wanted to leave. It was the perfect place for romantic encounters.

He stepped inside and glanced at the Celeria who was giving him a crooked smile from behind the counter. "Need any help, dearie?"

Taking a wild guess, he said, "No, thank you, m'am. I'm just looking around."

"You'll want to go through that door then," she said, pointing to a white door at one side of the room. Nodding, he walked over and opened the door. It was a room, completely white - walls, ceiling and floor. There seemed to be no way out of the room, but he stepped in anyway. The door closed behind him and disappeared, while two other doors appeared, one to his left and one to his right.

"This is very strange," he muttered dryly but decided to go through the door on the left. He was awarded as he found himself in a large and beautifully decorated room. The walls were panelled with gleaming dark wood and the floor was covered with a lush, red carpet. There was a large four-poster bed to his left with shimmering golden colours. All around the room, standing on chests or tables with intricate carvings, were all sorts of contraptions made of silver. He glanced at the window in one side of the room, and curiously, made his way over. He gazed out, only to look out over a white beach and past the foaming sea to the arc of the horizon in the distance. He shook his head in wonder before turning around. Opposite the bed, a large wooden double-door stood and he almost jumped in surprise as that door opened and Jean came through, locking and shutting the door. The other door he had entered through had disappeared. "This is a really strange place, did you know that?"

"And here I thought it was just me."

"Ah, wonderful Slytherin sarcasm, how I've missed that."

"You liked your gift?" 

Harry blushed brightly in remembrance, but protested, "I'm not going to wear that." They were pressed against each other now.

"We'll see," was the last whisper before their lips met and talking ceased. It was hot and passionate and fervent, their bodies alight at the familiar contact. Hands running through ebony hair, the end of one the beginning of another. And then the rush was broken as their lungs protested, the need for air overriding the pull of desire.

"I've missed you," Jean said softly.

"I know," Harry smiled, "And I you."

Jean grinned, "We have fifty minutes left, let's make use of the time."

***

Harry emerged from the shop an hour later looking severely ruffled. The old witch had smiled knowingly at him when he had emerged from one of the doors in the shop. He guessed she often had young people sneaking off into the dizzying dementia of the shop. 

Harry was grateful the shop wasn't that far from Gringotts because he was already ten minutes late. He straightened his robes and hair as best he could, but he knew they would see something had happened. He was planning to tell them anyway. He and Jean had talked about it and they had decided to tell the people closest to them about it. But he would wait until they were at the Burrow.

He grinned as he saw the tall, gangling figure topped with red hair over the heads of the crowd. Ron was the tallest guy in seventh year, standing at 6'2. Harry was lucky he couldn't be called a shrimp anymore as he stood at almost 6' precisely. He quickened his pace as he could see Hermione was already looking around impatiently.

  
"Sorry I'm late!" he called as he pushed through the crowd and neared the steps leading up to the bank, "I was a bit busy."

Hermione, recognizing the voice, quickly turned, taking in the flushed skin, tousled ('Well, more than normally') hair, kiss-swollen lips and enormous grin. "It seems you took your own advice, Harry," she greeted with a grin of her own.

Harry was confused momentarily before he remembered what he had told her to do with Viktor. He flushed a bit deeper, but grinned nonetheless, "Oh, we've just been kissing. Nothing below the belt."

Ron, who was normally a bit slow on the uptake, summed his confusion up by asking, "Kissing? What are you talking about?"

"Harry's secret girlfriend, of course," Hermione pulled Harry into a hug, "Good to see you again."

"You too," Harry replied with a smile before he turned to Ron and shook his hand before the red-head could say anything, "Great to see you, Ron."

"What girlfriend?" Ron asked, looking from Hermione to Harry.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "You haven't even noticed him sneaking out of the dorms at night?" Ron just shook his head, "Oh, honestly Ron. Harry's been going out with someone for five months, although I only started to suspect it two months ago."

"Who is it?" Ron asked curiously and more than a little shocked that he hadn't even noticed his friend's disappearance. 'Well,' he thought, 'It's not as if I haven't been sneaking out myself.'

"A Slytherin," Hermione whispered mock-dramatically and Harry just laughed.

"Are you serious?" Ron asked, "You're not pulling my leg here?"

"No Ron," Harry said, "I have been going out with a Slytherin for five months, well, six if you count the vacation. Just don't tell the whole world, will you. I still want to keep it a secret."

"Why?" Ron asked, "And who is it?" Harry only glanced at Hermione, silently asking her to explain.

"Isn't it obvious, Ron?" she asked exasperatedly, although Harry could tell she was only faking it, "He doesn't want the attention from the media. Would you like your every move to be printed in the paper? I think not. Besides, he's never really had something which was just his own, like a family." Ron nodded silently.

"I understand," he said after a moment, "I don't mind if you don't tell us. But you're sure she's not some Death Eater or something?"

"No, Ron. You should know by now that not all Slytherins are bad," Harry responded.

"Oh, and you would say that coming from a secret rendezvous with one looking like that," Hermione retorted with a smile.

"It was innocent kissing!" Harry exclaimed, "Not like you and Viktor in his room at Hogwarts."

Hermione instantly blushed and hit Harry on the shoulder, "Shut it, you. We didn't do anything in Viktor's room."

"No, no, no," Ron grinned, "Tell us more. How do you know about this anyway, Harry? Spy on them did you?"

"A voyeur, me?" Harry asked innocently, "As if. Well, I guess the Marauder's Map could classify of voyeurism, but it wasn't as if I was looking for it on purpose."

"The Marauder's Map?" Ron asked, mouth open.

"Yeah," Harry said amusedly, "You've never wondered what it means when two of the dots on the map merge?" Now both Hermione _and_ Ron were red in the face. "Yes, Ron, I know everything about your little liaison with Miss. Patil from Ravenclaw."

"Padma?" Hermione asked in surprise before turning her stern gaze on Harry, "I'm going to take that map before you do any more damage." Harry just laughed in response. "Maybe then we'll know who you go out to see almost every night."

"Don't bother, I'm gonna tell you guys tonight."

"You are? But I thought you didn't want…"

"We've discussed it," Harry interrupted, "And we've agreed to tell our friends about us, just not here." He looked pointedly around at the people. "Have you guys got your money yet?" When they shook their heads, the trio entered Gringotts and while Hermione was busy at the counter exchanging money, Harry and Ron went down to the vaults and retrieved money for their school things. Since Ron had turned seventeen, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley felt that they could trust him to care for his own financial matters and had set up a vault for him, with his allowance paid directly into the vault. 

After their brief excursion through the lower parts of the bank, they met up with Hermione and set out to stock themselves with this year's requirements. Their first stop was Flourish & Blotts and Harry looked up to where Jean had standing a while earlier. There was nothing now except the shelves of books.

As could be expected, there were more books on their lists seeing that it was their last and most difficult year yet. They would also be taking two advanced-level subjects this year and they had filled in their choices of subjects the previous year. All three of them were taking Defense Against the Dark Arts on advanced level as the one subject, while Hermione was doing Arithmancy and Harry and Ron were doing Care of Magical Creatures with Charlie Weasley who had gone on teaching since Hagrid's demise. 

They handed their lists to the assistant whom, after a few minutes of flitting about the store, had all their books loaded in special featherweight bags. They paid the man and left the store, roaming here and there, buying more school items and meeting some of their friends from Hogwarts.

Three hours later, and laden with bags, they were sitting at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and enjoying their respite from the bustling about.

"Have you guys decided what you want to do after Hogwarts?" Harry asked suddenly. Nobody spoke for a moment, so Harry decided to answer his own question, "I've thought about it and I think I'd either want to be an Auror or a professional Quidditch player. Since Voldemort isn't gone yet and there are still Death Eaters about, I think I'd go for Auror. And you guys?"

"I have talked to Professor McGonagall about it a bit," Hermione admitted. "She thinks I can take any career option I want," she went on, a little embarrassed at the praise from the Head of House, "But I think I want to teach at Hogwarts."

"What subject?" Harry asked curiously.

"I'd be willing to teach any subject I can get," Hermione said.

"Wouldn't it be too boring for you?" Ron asked, "I mean, after all our adventures, wouldn't a job like that be too plain?" Despite the slight teasing tone, the question was serious.

"I don't know," she answered, "I'm really not sure, but I have thought about that. I have also considered a research job at the Auror department because they also get to do field work. But other than that, I don't have an idea." Harry and Hermione turned expectantly to Ron.

"Well, everyone says I'm a good strategist and I've also thought about becoming an Auror…but, it's just, I don't know if I want to be an Auror because I'd like to do it or because I feel a sort of duty to."

Harry nodded, "I know exactly what you mean and at the moment, the only reason I want to be an Auror, is because of that feeling of duty. Maybe guilt too." Ron and Hermione knew not to try and tell him that none of it was his fault, because after the war they had experienced the exact same feeling of guilt. "So," Harry smiled a bit, "We're all going to be Aurors then?"

"It seems that way," Ron said, "But hey, we'd be brilliant. We've kicked enough Dark Wizard ass over the last six years, why stop now?"

"Oh, Ron," Hermione sighed in exasperation but she couldn't stop the smile creeping onto her face. 

"I really must thank you again for the dagger, Ron," Harry said, suddenly changing the subject. He had sent presents to every Weasley with a thank you note, but he still felt the need to tell them in person. It was a very beautiful dagger, after all.

"It was nothing, Harry," Ron said, "I told you, we all pitched in."

"But still," Harry insisted, "It's beautifully crafted. Thank you."

"Dagger?" Hermione asked.

Harry turned to her, "You know I like dagger fighting, right?" She nodded. "Well, Ron and his family bought me one."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Ron," Hermione said, making the other boy blush slightly, "And now you have a dagger and a sword, Harry." Harry just grinned. "Talking about buying, we still have to go and get some dress robes."

"Again?" Ron exclaimed, "What for?"

Hermione lifted her eyebrows, "It says so on the list, Ron." Though he didn't doubt her, Ron grabbed the list from her and groaned as he confirmed that they did indeed need dress robes.

"And I've grown too long for that one Fred and George bought me," Ron said, gazing down at his long legs.

"You're longer than everyone else in your family," Harry commented, "I wonder where you get it from."

"Uncle Thaddeus, one of my father's brothers, is taller than I am," Ron said.

"I think it's another ball," Hermione commented, looking at the list, "Oh, of course, how silly of me. Despite the fact that there may be a Yule Ball, we'll have the Graduation Ball just before we graduate."

"And you probably read about it in Hogwarts : A History?" Harry asked and they all laughed. "Let's get it over with then," Harry sighed. As much as he liked wearing nice clothes, he disliked shopping except if Jean accompanied him. So, Harry and Ron unwillingly followed Hermione as she made her way for Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, their gazes still drawn by the new Hurricane racing broom in Quality Quidditch Supplies.

"Can I help you, dears?" the plump saleswitch asked once they were inside.

"Yes, thank you," Hermione said, "We're looking for uniforms and dressrobes."

"Ah yes, Hogwarts then. I'll sort out your Hogwarts robes and you can look for something nice in the meantime. This way." They followed the older witch further into the shop, coming to a large circular room with robes and other clothing items hanging all round. "Now, I'll leave you three to look around, call me if you need anything." They nodded and the saleswitch disappeared behind the reams of cloth.

"Can't we rather dress in muggle clothes," Harry said as he sifted through the items on the walls. "I mean, I did spend all the money on getting me some casual _and_ formal muggle clothes to wear."

Hermione turned from where she was examining a shimmering lilac dress, "I'm sure you can. There has to be some sort of open robe that you can use for a cloak to wear over the muggle clothes."

Nodding, Harry returned to his inspection. If he was going to reveal his relationship with Jean at a Ball, he might as well make an impression. The image of the leather harness came to mind and he felt the heat stain his cheeks red. 'Definitely not, although it definitely would make an impression.' "Aha," he cried in success as he picked a cloak from its place. It was black but it shimmered faintly and it had a band of silver running along the edges. He turned to Hermione, who had stopped what she was doing at his outcry, "Do you think I can wear this with black pants, boots and my red silk shirt?"

"It would be perfect," she nodded, satisfied and continued her browsing. Harry turned to look at Ron currently holding up a yellow robe and making a disgusted face. Since Fudge's removal from office and Mr. Weasley's subsequent election, the Weasleys had been able to afford much nicer things and Harry was glad that they were finally being repaid for their kindness.

He walked over to Ron, "Ask Hermione for some help, she always knows what you should wear to go with your hair."

In the end, Hermione had picked out an elegant black robe for Ron that was slightly fitted at the top that cut to his narrow waist, making his shoulders look broader than they really were. The robes then flared out slightly and fell down to his shoes. After an hour of waiting on the part of the boys, Hermione emerged from the dressing room in a dazzling gown of deep crimson.

"Wow," was all Ron managed to say with his slack jaw as he shamelessly goggled at the fitting dress and the beautiful woman behind it.

"You look amazing, 'Mione," Harry commented. He wondered if the reason she always looked so lovely when she made herself up was because she did it so rarely or because she was good at it. 'Maybe it's just because she _is_ beautiful.'

"Thank you, Harry," she said, twirling around before going back into the dressing room.

"Are you regretting breaking up with her?" Harry asked teasingly. 

Ron regained his composure as he looked at Harry and he grinned, "A bit. But you know it couldn't have gone on much longer."

"Not if you wanted the common room to be left standing," Harry joked, earning him a punch on the shoulder, "Hey! You can't deny your _little_ arguments were that bad, can you?"

"Well…not really, but still!" They laughed and stopped when Hermione emerged again with the gown over her arm.

"What are you guys laughing about?"

"Just your _fiery_ relationship with Ron," Harry remarked.

The three friends paid for their purchases and made their way out of the shop. "Mum said we should just floo home when we're finished," Ron said as he walked back to the Leaky Cauldron.

"I put my stuff there when I came in," Harry said, "And your things, Hermione?"

"Oh, when my parents dropped me off, Ron, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley was already here. She shrunk them for me."

"Yeah, Mum was taking Ginny to do her shopping."

They stepped in and the people inside glanced at them, instantly recognizing the famous Gryffindor Trio. Harry walked over to the bar, "Hello Tom, can I get my stuff quickly?"

  
"'Ello again Harry. Yes, come on," the older man said as he walked with Harry, and picked up his trunk. He carried it over to the fireplace, "'Ello Mr. Weasley, Miss. Granger."

"Hi Tom," Ron and Hermione greeted.

"I hope you have a lovely time," Tom said, "But gotta get back to the customers." The greeted him before he walked off.

"Well, shall we go then?" Hermione asked as she picked up the pot of floo powder and took a handful. She threw it into the roaring flames, "The Burrow!" She disappeared in a flash of green flames.

Ron helped Harry pick up his trunk and owl cage and with another shout of, "The Burrow!" they were gone.

The two boys stumbled out the other side and fell, the trunk slipping out of their grips and narrowly missing landing on their feet. Coughing, Harry stood up and brushed himself off. "I hate flooing," he remarked absently before he was suddenly gathered up in a crunching hug.

"Hello Harry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as she released the boy from her grip, "It's so wonderful to see you again. How was your holiday?"

"Hello Mrs. Weasley, it's nice to see you too," Harry said, "The holidays were quite relaxing. And thank you for the dagger!" Ron rolled his eyes.

"Oh, it was a pleasure, dear. Ron told us how good you were and he said you would love it. And I should thank you for that lovely book you sent me," she said, "Now come on, make yourself at home." And with that, she bustled off to the kitchen.

"Let's get your stuff up to my room," Ron said. He and Harry grabbed a side of the trunk.

"Can you get my cage please, Hermione?" Harry asked and she just nodded, taking the cage and following them up to Ron's room. As Harry stepped in, he noticed something was wrong. "You've painted your room!" Indeed, it was not a glaring orange anymore.

"Yeah," Ron said, shuffling his shoes, "I thought it was time for a change." All but one of his Chudley Cannons posters had been removed and the walls were plain white.

"I think it looks much better like this," Hermione commented as she placed Hedwig's cage on a shelf.

"It actually feels larger now," Harry said and he could see Ron enjoyed the comments. They pushed the trunk next to Ron's in the corner and went back downstairs.

"Hey Ginny," Harry said as they entered the kitchen and he saw her sitting at the table. He was lucky that she had _finally_ got over her crush on him and had started dating Colin Creevey, thereby also curbing his Harry Potter fascination. Harry had been extremely grateful for that.

"Oh, hello Harry," she said.

"Thank you for the dagger," Harry said.

"You should thank Ron," Ginny said, "I was barely involved."

"He's thanked me enough," Ron said.

"But thanks for this," Ginny said, motioning to the leather bracelet on her wrist, "I love it."

"It was the least I could do," Harry said and gave Ginny a smile that she returned before looking back down and immersing her in the book she had been reading. Mrs. Weasley was currently waving her wand around and pots and pans and utensils were all flying through the air.

"Mum's preparing dinner for tonight," Ron said, "We'd best go outside." Nodding, the three of them made their way to the garden. They walked closer to the pond and made themselves comfortable lying in the grass under the shade of one of the old trees. "So, you gonna tell us about your secret girlfriend now?" 

Harry just rolled his eyes at Ron's impatience, but he only hoped that Jean had been right and that his friends would accept it. "Okay, I did want to wait until tonight, but there's hardly anybody around, so…" He took a deep breath, "You promise not to tell _anyone_ about this?"

"We promise," his two friends swore.

"Right, because I don't want it to be known yet." They nodded, "Well, it's a Slytherin in our year."

"What's her name?" Ron asked impatiently.

"Jean," Harry said, "His name is Jean-Paul."


End file.
